CASH to help people in Oxfordshire be part of the Government’s much-heralded Big Society is now up for grabs.

Anyone can ask for funding and bids for slices of a £600,000 pot are now being taken as Conservative-run Oxfordshire County Council moves to give residents more power.

It came as MPs in the county last night offered their interpretations of what the so-called Big Society actually means.

The council agreed £119m worth of cuts last Tuesday, before launching the fund the following day.

Kieron Mallon, cabinet member for policy co-ordination, said: “It is only over the last 15 years or so that people have got used to and expected the state to provide everything.

“Even if we were not in the economic climate we are in now there is a place for the Big Society.

“It is communities, individuals, voluntary groups taking back power to themselves, running the services for their community the way they would like to see them done and not run how a council or Government department, or the EU tells them they have to be run.”

Despite the cash being available, 20 libraries and more than 20 youth centres will lose funding because of the cuts.

Mr Mallon said: “The Big Society is not just about libraries – it is about elderly people, youth provision and whatever goes on in that community.

“We will be looking for a geographical spread as to where this goes, looking to the needs of that community and what is there already. We are looking for people to come up with imaginative bids and if they can combine with other groups in the area I think that would add value to their bid.”

He added: “It is start-up funding there to kick-start these initiatives off. It is not ongoing funding, year after year.

“We are getting people to be proactive, be constructive and work with the council.”

When asked if the idea was at risk of failing and leaving communities without major services, he said: “It would not be for the want of trying on our part.”

He added: “The Big Society is nothing to do with the cuts.

“If we were still in Gordon Brown’s economic bubble people would still want to decide what happens to their locality and would want to have more of a say in how it is run and we are hoping to give people that opportunity.”

Steve Thomas, based at the King’s Centre, in Osney Mead, said the church has a big part to play in the Big Society. He said: “All of the churches already run youth groups, outreach groups for older people and lunch clubs.

“But I think this is a fantastic opportunity for the church to use the Big Society as a platform to continue our work.”

To bid for Big Society money visit oxfordshire.gov.uk/bigsocietyfund or call 01865 815526. Applications will be taken until late spring.

awilliams@oxfordmail.co.uk